New Mexico’s Democratic Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham declared a controversial 30-day public health emergency order banning concealed and open carry of firearms, but she is completely being shot down by fellow Democrats. Democratic attorney general Raul Torrez wrote a letter to Grisham expressing he would not support her.
Not only does Torrez reject the order, he also said he would refuse to defend her in litigation challenges. “Though I recognize my statutory obligation as New Mexico’s chief legal officer to defend state officials when they are sued in their official capacity, my duty to uphold and defend the constitutional rights of every citizen takes precedence” the letter stated.
“Simply put, I do not believe that the Emergency Order will have any meaningful impact on public safety but, more importantly, I do not believe it passes constitutional muster” the letter continued. The letter from Torrez comes as multiple plaintiffs including the National Association for Gun Rights, We the Patriots USA, residents of the affected counties, and Gun Owners of America, have filed lawsuits against Grisham and her administration over the dictate.
Bernalillo County Sheriff John Allen not only condemned the public health order, but announced that his office would not enforce the unconstitutional order. “There’s no way we can enforce that order. This ban does nothing to curb gun violence,” Allen said at a Monday press conference. “We must always remember not only are we protecting the Second Amendment, but at the same time, we have a lot of violence within our community. Let me be clear, I hold my standards high, and I do not or never will hedge on what is right.”
New Mexico State Senator Greg Baca, the senior-ranking Republican clearly laid out the what’s wrong with the problematic order: “A child is murdered, the perpetrator is still on the loose, and what does the governor do? She [Grisham]… targets law-abiding citizens with an unconstitutional gun order.”
Baca is referencing the death of an eleven-year-old child, who was shot outside a baseball game in Albuquerque last week prompting Grisham to create the order.